1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication device with a positioning capability. In particular, the present invention relates to a mobile communication device (e.g., a cellular telephone) that is also capable of receiving a global positioning system (GPS) signal, and which shares an oscillator between the communication and positioning functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The utility of a mobile communication device (e.g., a cellular telephone) is enhanced if it is provided the additional capability of receiving and processing global positioning system (GPS) signals that can be used to determine the position of the mobile communication device.
To provide for both positioning and communication functions, it is possible to share a local oscillator between the receiver and transmitter of the communication circuit and the GPS signal receiver. While sharing a local oscillator can reduce the cost and bulkiness of such a mobile communication device, there are some practical problems to be overcome to achieve high performance. For example, in cellular communications, when a mobile communication device leaves the service area of a base station and enters into the service area of another base station, a “hand-off” procedure takes place in which the mobile communication device tunes into the operating frequency or channel of the new base station. During the hand-off, it is often necessary to adjust the offset (i.e., deviation from the base station's “nominal center frequency”), as each base station may have a different offset. In degraded signal conditions, continuous tracking of a carrier may also require an offset frequency adjustment. However, if such an adjustment is made during the acquisition of a GPS signal, both the mixing frequency and the sampling frequency of the GPS receiver—used in down-converting and digitizing the GPS signal, respectively—are affected. The received signal may yield an erroneous result, or even a failure to detect the GPS signal. In fact, in one system, a 0.05 parts-per-million (ppm) adjustment has the effect of a 79 Hz shift in the carrier frequency in the received GPS signal.
One approach avoids the corruption of the GPS signal by locking the communication circuit out from accessing the oscillator for frequency adjustment so long as a GPS signal acquisition is in process. However, such an approach is undesirable because it prevents the mobile communication device from establishing contact with one or more base stations while a GPS signal is being acquired, which may lead to temporary loss of communication service. Also, such an approach complicates the control software in the mobile communication device, thereby deterring manufacturers from incorporating positioning capability in their mobile communication devices.
In GPS signal detection, one source of uncertainty in the carrier modulation frequency in the received signal is the “clock Doppler,” which results from the unknown syntony between the clock on the signal source (e.g., a GPS satellite) and the receiver's own clock. Precise knowledge of the local oscillator's frequency can reduce the frequency search space (“Doppler range”) for the GPS signal. At any given time, the actual frequency of a local oscillator depends on a number of variables, such as manufacturing variations, temperature, aging and operating voltage. Oscillators used in signal sources (e.g., GPS satellites) are typically well-characterized and are tuned to the specified frequency with high accuracy. Because of their cost, high power requirements, and bulkiness, however, such oscillators are unsuited for use in a mobile communication device. To more accurately determine the operating frequency of a local oscillator, the prior art typically requires a more costly oscillator then conventionally found in a mobile communication device. Others require a complex calibration procedure to tune the oscillator to a precision carrier frequency. The latter approach is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,914 to Krasner, entitled “GPS Receiver utilizing a Communication Link.” Neither approach is satisfactory from a cost and performance standpoint.